My sister came to NYC to visit and run a half marathon with me. And while she was in town she asked why I hadn't updated my blog lately; so here it is a new blog update. I always say I am going to get better about blogging, but it never really happens. I am not going to make that promise this time around; you will get updates when I am motivated enough to post one.
So without further ado.....the Brooklyn Half Marathon.
The Half started at 7:00am from Prospect Park which me
ant ED and I needed to wake up around 5:00am. Both the G and F subway lines were messed up so we didn't even bother with that; we would have had to leave my apartment at 4:00am just to get there in time. Instead we took a car to Prospect Park.
Everything started out without a hitch. We ran our first mile at about a 9:40 pace, which I was happy with. I thought I could do 13 miles at this pace and be very happy with my time. I wanted to do 9:45 to 10:00 minute miles. But then........the pace picked up. ED and I started running 9:00 minute miles all of a sudden. 9:00 minute miles lasted all the way to about mile 10 when I just couldn't keep it up anymore. My legs were starting to burn, especially my butt/hip region, and still having a 5k left felt demoralizing.
Leaving the park at mile 7 felt great, as the race was over half over and we were on our way to Coney Island, but 2 miles onto Ocean Parkway I wanted to be back in that park more than anything. 6 miles of straight, as far as the eye can see, with no spectators is tough on the mental psyche. I never realized, until now, how much fans cheering you on really does help; even if you don't know who is cheering for you.
The last three miles of the race was tough for me; I kept having to pump myself up in my head, but somehow I managed to run the whole thing. Grant it those last 3 miles were not 9:00 minute miles anymore, but it didn't matter at that point. I just wanted to finish the race running and with a somewhat decent time.
ED and I ending up running 13.1 miles in 2 hours 2 minutes and 16 seconds; 9:20 minute per mile pace! I am super happy with my time and glad that I had my sister by my side running with me. I don't think I could have gone that fast without her.
As for my thoughts on the Brooklyn Half course......I'll never do it again. I wish this wasn't my first half marathon as it kind of put a bad taste in my mouth. The course itself didn't have enough change of scenery or turns to hold my interest. And having 6 miles on Ocean Parkway, with maybe 50 people out cheering on that stretch, is super depressing. I didn't get a participation medal, there were only bagels, which were gross, and apples at the end of the race; not even a banana, come on people!
We'll see if another half marathon is in my future, but as of right now, I would have to say no. And as for a full marathon, that isn't even near the front of my mind. I don't have enough time to train for 26 miles and I'm not sure my body is built for such a long distance.
